Fun Folds · January Mini Catalog

Grateful Forever

Welcome in, crafty friends, on this frigid Saturday! We had a brief warm-up yesterday with temps well above freezing and today we’re back down in the low 20s. We’re thankful for the brief period of time we had to thaw out from all of the ice and snow Winter Storm Fern left us. And we’re praying for all of those in the areas that are still in the midst of the freeze and are without power and basic utilities. Having been there during Winter Storm Uri back in 2021, we personally know all too well what that is like!

We’re continuing our design series using the new Days Like This Memories & More card pack from Stampin’ Up! I love having at least one set of Memories & More cards on hand for those times when I need to make a quick card for a specific occasion. Today we’re using the Beautiful Butterflies dies and Lovely & Beautiful paper to make a fun fold card. Our Memories & More cards are perfect for the finishing touches on the inside of our card. Let’s see how this one comes together.

We get started with a base of Lemon Lolly cardstock on a standard A2 card base. We’re using a sheet of the Lovely & Beautiful patterned paper as the backdrop for our card front. The front panel focal panel is a fold-over panel of Lemon Lolly shimmer paper cut using the Beautiful Butterflies dies. This fold-over panel is cut just large enough to give us our butterfly shape for the front with about a half-inch strip to adhere to the inside panel of our card. Our butterfly details are made from vellum and black cardstock cut with the Beautiful Butterflies dies. The vellum is colored with the black Stampin’ Blend and then a layer of Wink of Stella is added to both pieces for some nice subtle twinkle. The detail pieces are adhered to the butterfly panel with glue dots. The front-facing part of our sentiment is the word grateful from the Unforgettable Times ephemera pack and is adhered at the base of the fold-over butterfly panel with several layers of dimensionals. I added some clear opal rounds on either side of the butterfly panel to draw the eye in to our front focal section.

When you lift the butterfly panel, lots of extra detail is revealed, including the second portion of our sentiment. I used the hybrid embossing folder to cut a detail butterfly from the Lemon Lolly glimmer paper and adhered it to the back of the fold-over panel. I love this hidden detail and it makes the butterfly more realistic because there’s a front and back view to their wings, after all. I cut a smaller butterfly from the hybrid embossing folder panel and used gold foil to add the details to coordinate with the gold foil forever sentiment from the Unforgettable Times ephemera pack. A small bow tied from the black & gold baker’s twine ties the two sentiment panels together.

We open our card to reveal our sentiment panel — complete with additional butterfly detailing. Here we’re using our Memories & More cards to add the finishing touches to the inside of our card. A larger 4×6 card from the pack serves as the patterned panel for the left-hand side of the message panel. I had a scrap of one of the smaller 3×4 butterfly cards left in my stash, and I cut out one of the butterflies to add to the corner of the patterned sheet. We use half of the more subtle butterfly-patterned 3×4 card to decorate the message panel. A few Peach Pie pearls finish off the opposing corners of the inside panels.

I love how each of the panels of this card reveals a fun surprise. And while it looks like a super complicated design, it really comes together quickly thanks to beautiful paper and Memories & More cards. I have a super quick & easy bonus card to bring you this evening once I knock out today’s around-the-house to-do list. I hope you’ll drop back by to check it out.

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florals

Butterfly Garden

We’re tiptoeing through the craft garden this week as we focus on our stash of floral Stampin’ Up! goodies. Today, we’re combining the Layers of Beauty bundle with Beautiful Butterflies to create this beautiful all-occasion card. I stepped out of my comfort zone a little bit as I played around with applying a light ink wash to my stamped panel using blending brushes and I even threw ink a little ink resist for grins.

We start today’s design with a base of Blackberry Bliss cardstock. Using the Beautiful Butterflies embossing folder, I machine embossed just the front panel of the card base. The focal panel is a white panel stamped with a combination of the Layers of Beauty stamps to create a patterned paper. I used the coordinating decorative masks to lightly fill in the center rose image with a combination of Fresh Freesia, Blackberry Bliss, and Shy Shamrock inks. I added some smaller butterflies in three corners with white embossing powder. And then I set about applying a light application of Blackberry Bliss and Pretty Peacock wash to the edges of the panel, leaving the center image mostly uncovered. The focal panel is adhered to the card base with dimensionals. A paper butterfly approaching the roses completes the garden scene. I added a twist of metallic ribbons to the top — a combination of Pretty Peacock, Blackberry Bliss, and Gold striped mesh ribbon (set to release in May). Two tone sparkle gems and rhinestones add some sparkle and draw the eye across the card design.

I wasn’t sure if I was going to go through with this card design because I didn’t feel very confident with the color wash panel. But sometimes you just have to keep going until you get all of the right elements in place to make it all come together.

Tomorrow we’re going to be hopping with the Luv 2 Stamp Group. I hope you’ll drop in and see what garden goodness awaits!

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Inspiration

Miss You

Welcome to this wonderful Wednesday. I’m telling myself it’s wonderful even though our temps here in North Texas are currently in the teens and wind chills are below zero. 🥶 For some of you, this is a typical winter day, but we are simply not accustomed to brutally cold and windy days.

This week, our design theme explores pattern & texture with sentiments. And today’s design is totally inspired by a card by fellow demo over at Creative Stamping Designs. I don’t often make shaker cards, but when I saw this combination of Beautiful Butterflies and Bloom Impressions, I just had to give it a go!

We get started with a base of white cardstock. Since the base is only visible on the inside, I keep things simple. But you could easily choose a complimentary color if you wish. A quarter sheet of the rainbow Bloom Impressions paper covers the card front and serves as the base for our shaker elements. I chose a coordinating pink/orange/purple medley sheet from the Beautiful Bokeh paper pack and machine embossed it with the Beautiful Butterflies hybrid embossing folder to imprint the butterfly pattern and cut the center butterfly at the same time. I made a deep impression by passing the embossing folder through my machine twice, which allows the white center of the paper to show through for a distressed look. I used the butterfly cutout on the inside panel of my card (not shown).

Next, we construct our shaker cover by adhering a window sheet to the back of the Beautiful Bokeh panel using tear-n-tape for a strong hold. (Tip: I save the acetate sheets from new stamp sets to use a window sheets. Simply give them a good wipe with a damp cloth on both sides and you’re good to go!) Apply a square of foam tape around the butterfly (still on the back of the sheet), leaving plenty of room for your shaker pieces to move. Be sure your foam strips meet and overlap at each corner to prevent any shaker pieces from escaping! Apply dimensionals around the edges (or you could use foam strips) to adhere this panel to your card front over the Bloom Impressions paper. Remove all of the backings, fill the center with your chosen shaker elements (I used a stash of retired shaker pieces I had on hand), and then adhere your card front over the filled shaker panel as it stays flat on your craft table.

I used a scrap of the Beautiful Bokeh to stamp the sentiment from Friends for Life in Blackberry Bliss and cut the end on the diagonal with my paper snips. Adhere in the upper corner with dimensionals. I added a knot of iridescent striped trim on the straight end. The card front is embellished with purple sequins to help our eyes pass across the design over the major elements. Voila!

Tomorrow we’ll be tiptoeing through the toadstools. I hope you’ll come along!

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